| Somewhere there's a tree-lined
avenue where the houses - large, comfortable dwellings, all with front
porches - sit back a ways from the street. In front of each house, a
smooth, wide sidewalk passes, connecting each property with a common
walkway. The yards of these homes are nicely manicured and edged
with tidy shrubs and flower gardens. There is sufficient space
behind each home to have a good-sized play area if there are children. In
the summer, the sound of swings creaking can be heard up and down the avenue
along with shouts and laughter.
Folks who live on this street know, or at the very least, know of each
other. There are no strangers. While everyone may not be the
best of friends, there is still congeniality and respect when dealing with
one another. Arguments are settled without rancor, disagreements
with tolerance.
In times of distress, the residents of this neighborhood band together,
watch out for one another because it's the right thing to do. The
elderly of the neighborhood always have their lawns mowed for them in the summer,
their walks and drives shoveled in the winter. When one of them
passes on, there is a general sense of sadness for the neighborhood
has lost one of its own.
Spring bursts forth with life and excitement in this neighborhood. Summers are
carefree. Autumn is brilliantly colored as children jump into piles
of leaves. Winters are snow festivals.
I keep looking for this neighborhood; it would be a very pleasant place
to live, I think. As far as I know, however, it only exists in my mind and
memories. The world has changed from the days of my childhood, so
it's really on to the next thing now.
Speaking of the next thing, I have all sorts of accounts at different
websites around the internet. If you want to find me at any of the
popular sites, click on the logos below.
So, we give up our real communities in order to madly populate online
communities. And doesn't that really feed the ego of many?
Hey, look at me, look at all the pictures of me surrounded by all my
friends, drinks in hand. I must be popular!
It has certainly changed the face of the social hierarchies that were
so prevalent to those of us born before 1980. Or, maybe it
doesn't. Equality is still an elusive beast though some of the
differential lines may have been smudged a bit.
Still, it's a brave new world - one that really doesn't require any
courage whatsoever.
Except for what's coming.
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